Mt Hutt ski season opens

Press, 2 June 1986, Page 1

Mt Hutt ski season opens

The 1986 ski-ing season opened at Mount Hutt yesterday with about 300 skiers making the most of packed powder snow on the lower slopes. Only the lower T-bar, the two platter lifts and the learners’ tows were working and afternoon rates applied. The manager, Mr Phil Witton, said that Mount Hutt had 25cm of fresh snow on Friday evening, which packed down to a 30cm base.

Unfortunately, the wind scoured out the upper slopes, but there was some excellent ski-ing on the lower part of the mountain, he said. The snow fences were important in retaining snow on lower slopes. The manager of the Porter Heights ski-field, Mr Uli Dinsenbacher, reported that “the whole mountain looks white” and one more snowfall was needed for the field

to be opened. There was about 15cm in the carpark. “It is looking like we open pretty soon, but I don’t want to rush into it,” he said.

Another southerly was on the way, which, it was hoped, would bring more snow.

Mount Dobson, near Fairlie, also needs more snow before opening.

The field had about 10cm of fresh snow with the nor-wester on Friday evening, and this was blowing all week-end, helping to fill in the hollows on the mountain. Both of the Mount Cook Group’s ski-fields at Queenstown —- Coronet Peak and The Remarkables — have had “substantial falls” of snow during the last week.

At Coronet Peak snow is being packed, but any decision about opening will not be made for a day of two.